Boy Over Flowers
by akuma-chan25300
Summary: White, black, grin, scowl, a marshmallow freak and a sarcastic genius. A single meeting between Hana and Byakuran triggers a launch of chaos: mafia, talking babies, dying will flames, sweets, and a not-so-clueless girl. AU-ish
1. Of Meetings

Title: Boy Over Flowers

Summary: White, black, grin, scowl, a marshmallow freak and a sarcastic genius. A single meeting between Hana and Byakuran triggers a launch of chaos: mafia, talking babies, dying will flames, sweets, and a not-so-clueless girl. AU-ish

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Chapter 1: _Of Meetings_

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A scowl found itself glued on one Kurokawa Hana's face. She tapped her foot impatiently, waiting for that orange bob of hair to come running out of the school gates.

Just an hour ago, one lovesick puppy who goes by the name of Gokudera Hayato ran by, demanding to know where 'Tenth' was. Hana was pretty sure he meant Sawada, though she had no idea what relationship there was between the title 'Tenth' and the name 'Sawada Tsunayoshi.' Anyways, the idiot was running around Namimori, searching for Sawada. Her best friend, being Kyoko, immediately offered to help and Hana found herself dragged along in the search for the most infamous boy of Namimori Middle.

Ah, explanations.

Just about two years ago, Sawada, commonly known as Tsuna, and formerly known as Dame-Tsuna, was _the_ most well known boy- though it wasn't in a positive way. His grades were in the toilet since day one, his athletic ability amounted to a big, fat '0', and he made a wonderful impression on his classmates the second he stepped into the classroom by tripping over air. By the end of the first day, the nickname 'Dame-Tsuna' was bestowed on the unfortunate boy.

Hana and the majority of the student population unsurprisingly fared better. Hana had a mature, slightly imposing aura around her even as a child, which allowed her to live a life of peace and quiet, though it also drove many children away. She didn't really care though; she viewed them all as immature monkeys anyways. That was also one of the many reasons why her friendship with the school idol came as a surprise. Their odd friendship started years ago when they were back in elementary school.

Kyoko was a naturally cheerful child with a bright demeanor that attracted people all around her like ants to sweets. And Hana didn't use the term 'moths to a fire' because she knew most, if not all, the people attempting to come in close contact with Kyoko only came to her for their own purposes, whether it'd be to use her to gain popularity, or to satisfy their attraction. That was another factor that contributed to the building of their relationship. Neither of them cared about the use of one another.

Unlike popular belief, Hana wasn't the one who first approached Kyoko in an attempt to become friends. And Kyoko wasn't the one who approached Hana either, because back then, the bubbly girl was too occupied with her rambunctious bother. They met...through a project.

It was a simple drawing project: to draw something you're afraid of. It was an attempt to help the kids get over their fear or monsters and such. The project was supposed to help a child find another person who shared the same fear as them and then get over their fear together. Hana remembered expecting the 'Sasagawa girl' to say that she was afraid of bugs, monsters, or even boys, but Kyoko hadn't said anything of that sort. When Hana had asked what she was afraid of, she merely smiled and said, "I'm afraid of my brother leaving me alone."

Being afraid of bugs, monsters, boys, or the such wasn't something Hana could relate to. Loneliness was.

And so the two became friends.

But even though their relationship was strong, it unsurprisingly brought quite a few downsides. For one, Kyoko was kind. As in, genuinely kind to the point where she wouldn't mind trading places with Sawada if it would make Hana or her brother happy. That also meant that she was kind to nearly everyone she met, including strangers to nameless classmates to the infamous Dame-Tsuna. Being too kind also had its consequences, some of which that Hana had managed to keep from happening. Others, like the boys' developing crushes on Kyoko, Hana had no say in.

The most obvious of all of the boys was Sawada himself. Unfortunately for him, he was utterly hopeless at nearly everything he did and he was competing against nearly the whole school population for Kyoko's attention. That changed just a year ago when a baby appeared. Hana shuddered at the thought of that kid; she hated kids as they were, but she was most unsettled around the baby who called himself 'Reborn'. Anyways, after that baby started appearing around Sawada, he suddenly became friends with the delinquent transfer student, the baseball school idol, the school's boxing captain, and Kyoko herself. Hana also suspected that the feared Hibari Kyoya was a part of their group, but she was wise enough to keep her thoughts to herself.

Somehow, the odd combination of people miraculously became friends. And it wasn't the normal kind of 'friends', either.

For one, each of the people that was dubbed 'Sawada's group' sported injuries after periods of time. They also told obvious lies- why would they be participating in a sumo wrestling competition when one focused only on boxing, another preferred baseball, and the rest preferred a nice and easy life? Hana wasn't surprised when her classmates accepted these explanations without questions. Despite the fact that Namimori Middle had a good public image, its students were never considered bright. Hana vaguely remembered when a blonde baby came to stay at Kyoko's house, and how the older Sasagawa disappeared off at night, only to return injured the next day. She also thought it was oddly coincidental when the 'bodyguards' hired stationed at each corner of the school on the following days. However, that was all in the past.

Recently, though, Kyoko had been more involved with Sawada's group, more often seen with a girl from Midori Middle School. Hana wasn't really shocked when Kyoko offered to help in the search for Sawada without a second thought, but Kyoko's genuine worry for the boy threw her off for a moment.

An hour later, Hana found herself waiting by the school gates alone. She had refused to go searching, however she did promise to keep an eye out for the short brunette. Instead, she opted to wait for Kyoko who was searching for Sawada around the school. Hana personally thought that the school would be the first place Gokudera would search for Sawada and had voiced her thoughts, but Kyoko insisted that there was a (_very small_) possibility that the troublesome boy was still around. Hana doubted that.

"Hey, Kurokawa!"

Her head jerked up, face automatically composing. The boy who called her was strangely familiar. His hair was like a combination between Yamamoto's and Gokudera's hair: a pitch black, defying-gravity kind of hair. His eyes were rather small, and his eyebrows seemed to be permanently furrowed.

"Did you need something?" she inquired, staring coldly at the boy in the kendo uniform.

"Yeah," he replied without much hesitation as she expected, "Stop the stupid delinquent and baseball nut from coming around disrupting our practice."

She raised one of her eyebrows. "And how do you expect me to do that?"

He scowled again, making another distant memory flash through her head once more. "You're friends with Kyoko, and she's Dame-Tsuna's crush. If she told him to do something, he'd do it in a second, and that includes keeping his loyal dogs under a leash.

Despite his short and confusing explanation, Hana easily connected the dots. Most likely, Gokudera and Yamamoto had been going around the school asking for Tsuna, and bothering quite a lot of people in the process. And somehow, he'd thought that she'd be able to ask Kyoko, who'd ask Sawada, who'd ask his friends to keep at bay. _Impossible_.

She had been a witness of Sawada's futile attempts to find some peace in his life.

"..." Oh. Now she remembered. The boy was once Kyoko's short-term unofficial boyfriend from a year back. Mochida Kensuke, or more known as the-crazy-kendo-captain was in front of her, asking her for a favor when they had barely conversed for more than a minute in their lifetime. She felt herself stiffen, remembering his mistreatment of Kyoko, no matter how unintentional it may be. Coming back to the world, Hana quickly replied exactly what she thought, "Impossible."

Instead of an outburst or some kind of protest, Mochida merely scoffed and sighed in resignation. "Thought so. Shouldn't have even asked..." _Then why did you?_

He then turned and started to walk away without another word but suddenly stopped. "...I saw Kyoko somewhere with a few other girls around the gym."

"Hmm..." She paused for a moment, wondering why he even cared to mention that, before paling at the implications of his words. Her head whipped around before spotting back of the kendo captain. She stared at his distancing back for a moment before running towards the school's gym.

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The gym door was mercilessly slammed open. Hana stomped over to the girls surrounding her obvious friend ignoring the way they jolted fearfully. Thankfully, they didn't seem to be doing anything, but their ashamed, I-got-caught-with-the-cookie-jar faces hinted at what would've happened if she had not appeared.

"Ah, Hana! What are you doing here?" Kyoko asked, her trademark innocent smile appearing on her face.

Hana temporary ignored the ginger head in favor of staring down at the unwelcome students. Five other females dressed in the required uniform shuffled nervously under her scrunching glare. Her eyes narrowed a bit more, and finally, one of the groupies got the hint. She exchanged glances with the others before trying to inconspicuously motion towards the exit. She was obviously the leader since the other four immediately shuffled towards the door, not even offering another word in their haste to get away. Just as the last one was about to exit, Hana called out.

"Come around again and you'll be getting more than a punch to your precious faces."

The girl shrieked in fear before running out the door.

Kyoko blinked twice before she cocked her head to the side in a questioning manner. "What's wrong, Hana?"

The girl in question slightly grimaced before waving her friend's concern off. "You should be more worried about yourself." _Do you even know that you're the most popular- and therefore the object of envy- of the school?_

"Eh?"

"That aside, did you find that troublesome monkey yet?"

Kyoko's face suddenly turned helpless, a gloomy aura surrounding her. Well, that answered her question. Sighing, Hana took Kyoko out of the silent gym and towards the exit of the school. She stated that Kyoko should go home before walking towards her own house, allowing herself to get lost in her thoughts.

_Where in the world are you, Sawada?_

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"Hana," a voice called. It wasn't loud by any means, but it echoed throughout the silent house. Hana finished the last bits of her homework before rising from her chair. Her room was plain with light mahogany walls, decorated by a single picture: a painting of the Namimori riverbed. It was an austere room where everything was perfectly in place. Though she liked peace and quiet, the 'feeling' of her house was a dull, quiet one that expressed neither sadness nor happiness. "Hana."

"I'm coming," she replied, heading down the wooden staircase. Her mother was cooking some kind of soup in the kitchen, barely even offering her daughter a smile. "Do you need anything?"

Though she usually wouldn't bother with formalities, she respected adults to an extent. That included her parents as well, even if they didn't get along well like a normal family would. Her mother was in her late thirties, a serious business woman who was an expert in her field of work. In fact, every person in their small family was a genius in their own rights. Both of her parents were high-ranking office workers, though they were mostly at work two-thirds of the time, considering one was a secretary and the other a translator. The family of six (which included her uncle from her father's side and his own family) interacted once in a while. Hana suspected that her cousin was coming over for a visit especially since his early graduation took place merely a week ago. What the woman said next only confirmed her assumptions.

"Your cousin is coming over for a visit," the woman replied evenly, eyes locked onto Hana's. It was one of the rule she taught the girl: always look at the person you're speaking in the eye. It'd be disrespectful if you didn't. "Would you mind picking him up from Namimori train station?"

"When will he be coming?" Hana asked. She didn't need to accept the 'request'; she knew it was an order. Though her annoyance was skillfully kept off her face, she couldn't help the venomous thoughts from surfacing her mind. Her cousin- a serene boy with black hair and hazel eyes- was twenty-one and was fully capable of taking care of himself.

"Today," her mother replied promptly before turning back to the cooking pot. "He'll be there in an hour."

Hana frowned at the short notice but threw on her school jacket, not bothering to change into another outfit, and walked out the door.

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The wind was picking up and the sky was mixture of orange, pink, and purple. It was past six and the sky was darkening as she strolled down the sidewalk. The train station was about two miles away from her house, so Hana was sure she'd be there when her cousin arrived.

Kurokawa Satoshi was a simple, every-day bookworm type of student. He inherited his father's hair and his mother's eyes, though it was usually covered by thick glasses since his eyesight was damaged from his late-night readings over the years. He was aiming to become a businessman and was heading towards his goal rather smoothly. He had apparently completed his studies in America a few months early, according to her mother. Though their relationship wasn't bad, they were anything but close. In fact, the whole family was like that: quiet, slightly cold, and distant.

Hana glanced up to find herself in front of Namimori train station. The airport was about an hour drive away, so Satoshi would've most likely taken a taxi. Hana wondered why she was even sent to pick him up when he could easily ride all the way home. Her displeasure must have shown since the other people at the station avoided coming near her. She briskly walked over to one of the entrance, waiting off to the side. Satoshi's train probably wasn't going to appear for about another twenty minutes, so she did what she did best: people-watching.

She was a naturally observant child. Though she wasn't exactly considered a female-Sherlock, Hana could notice more things that people around her age wouldn't take notice of (not that it was a huge accomplishment, considering the people around her.) It really came in help when she needed to find and refrain some of the more jealous girls from bullying Kyoko. She took notice of small things like how people reacted to one another, or how they acted when they were planning something.

However, she couldn't figure out everyone she came across; that was a given. Hana wouldn't admit it, but she couldn't understand her best friend as well as people thought she could.

Kyoko cared for close friends to faceless classmates and strangers. She was intelligent, but she seemed so naïve at times that even got Hana fooled repeatedly. She may be a bit obvious to the boys who have crushes on her, but she wasn't so stupid that she couldn't tell when another person hated her. One moment, the ginger was kind, and the next, she could be polite in a closed-off way.

Then there was Sawada. One day, he was looked down by even the worse of the worse students around him, and the next thing she knew, the most popular students were fighting for his attention.

People were complicated in their own way, Hana acknowledged, though that didn't do anything to stop her habit.

She was brought out of her musings when a familiar face came into her view.

"Hana." Her cousin's voice was slightly deeper than she remembered it to be, which had began to resemble her father's voice. Satoshi looked the same as always with his perfectly neat hair and glasses perched on his nose. The only noticeable difference that she spotted was his the new frame of his glasses. His clothes weren't wrinkled in the slightest, and he didn't offer a pat or any kind warm gesture- not that she expected him to. Neither of them were smiling as they greeted each other, keeping a respectful distance from one another as they turned towards the exit.

"Oh."

"What is it?" Hana asked, briefly looking at her cousin's neutral face.

"I forgot something; do you mind waiting for me?"

Her lips twitched down in displeasure before saying, "I'll be outside the entrance."

Satoshi nodded before turning and walking back towards the train. He must have been really tired to actually forget something. He rarely held anyone back, for he too had the impatience of the Kurokawas.

"Hmm. A Namimori student?"

Hana stiffened before spinning around to face...a boy. A odd-looking purple-eyed boy, but a boy nonetheless.

He had white hair that was a mixture between spikes and fluff. She would've thought that he had just woken up if it wasn't for the calculating gleam in his eyes and his tidy appearance. Hana openly observed him as he was doing the same, taking in the cheerful grin, slanted eyes, and white suitcase that had been trailing behind him. He was tall and looked to be a few year older than her, perhaps around sixteen or seventeen.

"I'm sixteen if you're wondering~" Hana looked up sharply, but he didn't react to her scowl. She doubted that she was really that easy to read. "Now, now, a girl like you shouldn't frown so much; you'll get wrinkles!"

"A boy with a pedophilic smile like you shouldn't be saying anything," she snapped, crossing her arms. It was a habit and most of the school knew that when she did that, she was annoyed. Unfortunately, the boy ignored her blatant dislike and stepped closer.

"Ow, my poor heart," he moaned in exaggerated fake-pain, clutching his shirt dramatically. If his tone didn't throw her off, his holier-than-thou smirk did.

_Who are you trying to fool?_

_"_Keep that up and you'll win the Oscar Award in a heartbeat," she muttered, sarcasm lacing her words. He responded by chuckling.

"Nice to know that you're confident in my abilities, Flower-chan."

Her eyebrows furrowed and she wondered if it was just a mere coincidence that he guessed her name so accurately. She contemplated asking him about that. Instead, she settled on, "Don't call me that." The boy smiled and was about to reply to her demand, though a scream stopped him before he could even start.

"**Where are you, boy!?**" A shrill voice yelled something in an unrecognizable language. The white-haired boy glanced behind him, but he made no move to leave. Though she didn't understand what the words meant, she suspected that the foreigner woman was calling for the stranger in front of her.

Instead of a farewell, he asked, "So, what's your name, Flower-chan?"

"It's common courtesy to introduce yourself first before asking for another's name," Hana replied without skipping a beat. She honestly had no interest in the weirdo in front of her, but she refused to give out her name so easily like an idiot, especially if the person asking had just ignored what she said a second ago.

To her surprise, the boy didn't back down or even get offended. He stared at her for a moment before shaking. She stared at him in bemusement as chuckles erupted from him. Soon enough, his chuckles became laughter. Hana was aware of the confused stares directed at the couple but her eyes didn't leave the crazy male in front of her. The woman who she suspected was formerly calling him came into view but was rudely ignored by the recovering boy.

"Well, Flower-chan," he began as soon as he could talk properly, though his amusement was still evident, "my name is Shiro Ran."

She bristled at his comment, half wondering if that was even his real name.

"It's Kurokawa Hana to you."

Hana decided, as Shiro turned to leave and smiled his closed-eye smile, that she didn't really like the look in his eyes at all- no matter how much it reminded her of her parents.

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End of Chapter 1: _Of Meetings_

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_Italics_: Emphasis, sometimes thoughts  
**Bolded**: Another language, most likely Italian  
Underline: Speaking through electronics

A/N: This story is going to start out pretty slow, so bare with me. Since Hana doesn't appear often, I'm characterizing the way I think she'd be like. I'll try to keep the characters as canon as possible (though that might be impossible, considering the way I'm planning the story...), though I'll make my own assumption for some parts (like Byakuran's age and original name [thank you, Google Translate.]) Anyways, I'd like criticism, advice, and just your thoughts. Fair warning: I don't really care about flames, but I dislike it when people spam me.

And thanks to **Prideful** for bearing with my writing and being my unofficial beta.

Now, here's a question to attempt to interact with my reader(s):

Do you think there was ever going to be a story featuring these two (Hana&Byakuran) as the main characters?


	2. Of Disappearances

Title: Boy Over Flowers

Summary: White, black, grin, scowl, a marshmallow freak and a sarcastic genius. A single meeting between Hana and Byakuran triggers a launch of chaos: mafia, talking babies, dying will flames, sweets, and a not-so-clueless girl. AU-ish

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Chapter 2: _Of Disappearances_

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_Recap_: Kurokawa Hana goes to pick up her cousin and bumps into a white-haired boy who calls himself Shiro Ran.

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Two hours later, Hana found herself back in her house, Satoshi's stare boring right through her head. This wasn't unusual especially since she was friends with the school idol, but it didn't mean it wasn't unnerving. She could almost feel it stabbing at her back.

Throughout dinner, Satoshi avoided directly speaking to her unless it was necessary. The dinner was quiet; Hana's mother had been called off to a last-minute meeting and the awkward atmosphere was greatly annoying her. She disliked feeling uneasy whether the cause was a stranger or her cousin.

Having enough of his nonsense, she spun around, stomped up to the surprised man and demanded him to come out and say what he was thinking. She didn't ask him to stop his silent inquiries since she knew, as a Kurokawa herself, that even though her family wasn't the type to pry (directly, at least), they were damn stubborn. Even if she tried to tell him that it was none of his business or yell at him like a banshee, Satoshi would've just stared her down and manage to get the truth out of her one way or another. When a Kurokawa wanted to know something, they'd do anything to find out. Though it's a good thing that the family wasn't a naturally curious one for the past few generations, they were also intimidating especially when they had a goal to accomplish.

Hana's chain of thoughts brought her back to the her primary problem: her cousin.

Her anti-social, intelligent, stubborn annoyance of a cousin.

Insults were on the tip of her tongue, but she couldn't call him an 'idiot' or a 'monkey' as she usually would to others. For one, Kurokawas were anything but known for their idiocy. It was the fact at both work and school, and it applied to Satoshi just as it does to her. For another, she couldn't really call him a monkey, since he was both older and mature than the monkeys around her. Comparing her classmates to her cousin was like comparing a petal on a daisy to a bouquet of flowers.

One 'businessman trait' of his was the determination to go through whatever they decide to do. And to top that off, he was one of the most convincing person of his former school, proven by the grades in his Public Speaking class. Those all contributed to why Hana decided to give in after an hour of being stared at.

"Who was that boy?" Satoshi asked right off the bat. He didn't bother sugar-coating his words or try to make his question inconspicuous as possible.

Hana knew that he was talking about the annoying white-haired monkey and that he was only suspicious of the boy, not her, but she still grimaced at the question. In the end, she decided to just tell what she thought about the weirdo. "An insane stranger."

_An insane stranger._ Those three words summed him up very well from the way she viewed him. The boy was obviously not right in the head and he was just a stranger that she met an hour ago, despite the familiar way he addressed her. Hana wanted to scoff at the way he acted, but she knew that would only bring more questions. Shiro Ran looked rather normal with his semi-tidy appearance, excluding his genetic features. White hair wasn't impossible to have, but it wasn't exactly common either. Purple eyes were even rarer, usually found only in foreigners. The fact that he could at least understand two different language clearly was another factor in Satoshi's growing suspicion. The boy had rather odd quirks, but other than that, if you ignore his features, he'd just be another person in the crowd. But Satoshi wasn't aiming to become a world-class businessman with just confidence. He, to an extent, knew that the boy was anything but normal.

"He was rather close to you," Satoshi replied, turning on the sink and began washing the dishes. Hana scowled, remembering their close proximity.

"A touchy, insane stranger," Hana revised, before spinning around and heading up the stairs to her room. There was enough trouble for that day, and Hana fell asleep while grumbling about the people around her.

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Hana growled almost inaudibly, stomping into her classroom.

That morning, neither Kyoko nor the older Sasagawa was there when she stopped by their house. That didn't happen very often, but she had at least gotten a note in advance from Kyoko whenever she was too busy. However, that day she received no notices or excuses, and Hana was left alone without any clue as to what happened to her best friend.

When she entered her class, it was clear that she wasn't in the best of moods. The people who would usually approach her when she was with Kyoko stayed away, avoiding her eyes. Hana strolled over to her desk before sitting down quietly, glancing over to the door and Kyoko's desk once in a while. It might be possible that Kyoko was still at home or something, but that was very unlikely, considering the Sasagawa siblings' morning habits...

The bell rang, and the teacher strolled in. Then, the class simultaneously paused to wait for the late Sawada, like they had always done. A small part of her felt pity for the object of amusement of the class, but she mostly didn't care. When he didn't come, the teacher tentatively started her plans for the day. She looked back to Kyoko's desk, only to find that Kyoko still wasn't there.

_Is she sick?_

That was possible, but either Kyoko or Ryohei had always called her to tell her beforehand. Hana sighed, wondering if she was just being too paranoid after the events from the day before.

Hana groaned before forcing herself to focus on whatever the teacher was going blabbering on about. Apparently, the teacher decided on a class discussion on wildlife, and Hana decided to ignore what they were saying, knowing that her classmates probably wouldn't even be able to keep on topic for more than fifteen minutes. True enough, their discussion jumped from wildlife to nature to plants and animals to humans and gossip. By then, even the teacher was caught up in the recent rumors going around the school.

The whole 'Sawada group' was absent, excluding the Ryohei and Hibari, who was seen on school grounds. She wasn't really worried; Sawada skipped class at least once every week, with his friends right behind him. Her concern was more focused on Kyoko. People don't stop talking to a friend they've been with for years on a whim so Hana knew that there was some kind of reason to explain the absence of the younger Sasagawa. When the lunch bell rang, Hana was still seated at her desk, chin resting on her left hand.

Too caught up her worries, she didn't notice the person standing right in front of her.

"Hey."

Hana slapped away the hand that was waving in front of her face subconsciously.

"HEY."

She crossed her arm, looking down at her desk, almost hoping for explanations to pop out of the wooden table.

"KUROKAWA!"

"What?" Hana growled, moving her glare from the floor to the annoying monkey who dare spoke to her.

Mochida leaned back on instinct at the dark look. He winced and made a motion to turn around before stopping. "Do you..."

"What?" Hana tapped her feet, her face becoming scarier by the second. Mochida gulped before continuing.

"Do you know a boy?" Hana looked at him like how a person would stare down at an idiot. "I mean, a redhead! He has glasses and he's...clumsy?"

"You're not even sure what you're asking about," Hana concluded. Mochida looked offended, but she didn't give him a chance to defend himself, "No, I don't. There are barely any redheads here so he probably goes to a different school. Anything else?"

The kendo captain scowled while adjusting his bag that was slung over his shoulders. "You can at least pretend that you actually enjoy my company! This is why you barely have friends..."

"When scientists creates a time-traveling machine, I'll think about it." _Maybe when hell freezes over._

He scowled, knowing that was her way of saying, 'sure, in a hundred years', before tentatively asking, "Can you at least keep an eye out for him?"

"Alright," Hana agreed. She was slightly interested in Mochida's reasons for asking around for a clumsy redhead, but she didn't try to interrogate him. "I'll keep an eye out for him when I look around for Kyoko."

"What, Kyoko's gone?" _Ah._

"...No." Hana mentally cursed herself for the slip of tongue, hoping that Mochida would be stupid enough to take that answer.

"What was with that pause?!"

_Oh yeah._ The reason why she actually thought that Mochida was 'good enough' for Kyoko a year ago, besides his social status and the fact that he was older than them (always a plus), was because he was intelligent and observant. Unfortunately, those traits were always overshadowed by his _other_ traits like how he was a jerk to anyone who wasn't a pretty girl, or how his short temper always got him in trouble. He actually just seemed like a typical boy and former bully of Sawada, if it wasn't for his position in the kendo team.

Maybe it was luck or just a coincidence, but the bell decided to ring right then and there. Mochida looked at her uncertainly once more before turning around to leave the classroom.

Hana turned her gaze back to her desk, wondering if it was another one of those many problems and secrets that had to do with Sawada's group.

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The snarky Kurokawa found herself in front the Sasagawa resident. She had originally planned to go around the supermarket first, but something prompted her to visit Kyoko's house first. She cursed herself but rang the doorbell anyways; it wouldn't do if she made a fool of herself by changing her mind at the last second. Instead of Kyoko's face, which Hana had expected, Ryohei's face greeted her. The depressed look on his face suddenly disappeared at the sight of her.

"Hana! I haven't seen you in a _extremely_ long time!" he yelled, grinning from ear to ear. He looked around as if he was searching for something and his face turned uneasy again. "Is Kyoko with you?"

Hana forced herself not to grimace or give any indication of the fear growing in her. "She told me to tell you that she was going on a picnic with the girl from Midori Middle. They said they'd be back in a few days." Hana was lying right through her teeth and she knew it. If something really bad happened to Kyoko, then she definitely would've done anything to stop Ryohei from going after Kyoko. Maybe it was because she wasn't really close to her best friend's older brother, but she was sure his reckless determination would cause more harm than good.

Or at least, that was how she wanted to think.

Ryohei would do anything in his power to make Kyoko come out safe, including throwing himself to a suicide situation. Kyoko wouldn't take that well. And honestly, he'd cause more trouble due to his reckless nature. Worrying him and the family would only make the situation worse.

"Oh, I see! Kyoko must have _extremely_ forgotten to tell me," Ryohei nodded, most likely to assure himself. "Then can I do anything else?"

"Yeah, you can stop yelling in my ears," Hana said darkly, half-glaring at the boy in front of her. He smiled and rubbed the back of his head like a kid who was being scolded by their parents. "And when did you notice she was missing?"

"Ah, I think..." Ryohei paused, cupping his chin with one hand. "Hmm..."

Hana's right eye twitched.

"Hmm...Oh! When I came home from my _extreme_ practice, she wasn't around!"

"Alright, that's all I wanted to know."

"Okay. Then have an _extreme_ day!"

Without another word, Hana turned and left, hoping that the headache she _knew_ was coming wouldn't be too bad.

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The street was bustling with people, though they were mostly middle-aged women. Understandable, since many housewives preferred shopping on that specific street every Thursday. The food sold there was nearly always in high quality, and the shops there have some kind of traditional sales day.

Hana tried to collect her thoughts as she maneuvered her way around the other shoppers. The only solid facts she knew were that 1) Kyoko seriously disappeared somewhere, and 2) The Sasagawa family have no idea where she went. The situation was totally in her favor. Yeah. Right. Hana heaved a sigh as she looked at the shopping aisles.

There was a girl with an arm cast, a guy with a unibrow, a old woman with an orange cane, a boy with white hair, a young man with a bag of gummies-

"..." _No. Effing. Way._ Hana blinked and looked around.

There he was in all his glory: the so called Shiro Ran. The boy carried a small bag of fruits and vegetables in left arm while his right arm was carrying at least five large packs of marshmallows. His clothes were more ragged and informal, but he still had that annoying smile from the day before.

Hana spun around before quickly strolling away. She wasn't by any means _afraid_ of him, but she'd rather spend her time with Hibari than the creep.

_..._

"No, I take that back," Hana mumbled to herself, trying to destroy the mental image that came into her mind.

"Hmm? Take what back?"

_Goddammit_. Hana looked to her right in a surprisingly normal speed and managed to not flinch when he came into her vision.

"Ah, it is you, Flower-chan~"

"Don't call me that," she shot back, a scowl appearing on her face once again. For some reason, he got on her nerves way more quickly than others. Even Ryohei wasn't that bad, though that might've been because he was similar to Kyoko in terms of optimism and cheerfulness.

"I thought so, you looked really familiar," he continued, smiling with his eyes closed, completely ignoring the dark aura surrounding her. "Are you here for some shopping? Or are you here to look for something?"

"No-"

"Or are you looking someone- perhaps a friend?" Hana froze. Something in Shiro's eyes flashed for a second, however it disappeared before she could confirm anything. Hana stared at him warily, contemplating on her answer. That was the second time he guessed something with incredible accuracy: the first being her name, and the second being her current motive. She wanted to wave it off as a coincidence or lucky guess, but then that'd mean that she would have to fool herself into security.

"Yes," she finally answered. He seemed like the type to easily tell when another's lying and was rather intimidating in some ways. Maybe it was just a woman's intuition or plain instinct that Hana decided at the moment that it was best to not get involve with him.

"Okay!" Hana looked up sharply. "I'll help you look for her!"

"Wha-?" Before she could utter out another word, she was pulled by surprisingly strong arms.

The odd boy strolled over to the cashier and dumped groceries and snacks onto the counter.

"I don't need your help!" Hana hissed, watching the boy pull out a couple of bills from his wallet while waving off his hand at the same time. The bills were crisp- as if they had just been withdrawn from the bank- which made her even more wary of the weirdo. Kids don't just have ten thousands of yen to spend leisurely, nor could they (legally) access their bank account as a minor.

"Oh?" Shiro turned and looked at her for a moment. Hana stared right back and stood up straight, mentally challenging him. For a moment, he looked like he was going to ignore her demands and pull her along anyways, but instead, he cracked a dark smile. "Then here's a hint: Irie Shouichi."

The dark aura that surrounded his disappeared as quickly as it came. Shiro turned back towards the slightly confused cashier and collected his change. Hana mechanically stepped out the shop, wondering if he had a superior goal, but didn't make a move to speak. Shiro just smiled as her bemusement, waved before walking off, and disappeared in the crowd of people. Hana stared after him for a moment, trying to understand the event that had just occurred.

_Wait. Did I say I was looking for a girl?_

She slightly shivered, forcing herself to walk away from the direction he was heading towards. Thoughts swarmed her head, yet Hana was unable to find any solid answers to them. She rubbed her head while walking, hoping her headache would die down by the time she got home.

Just as luck would have it, she bumped into a person not a minute later and somehow fell backwards.

"Oh dear! Are you alright?" A woman's voice asked. The brunette was rather young-looking with short brown locks and familiar eyes. Familiar eyes...

"Sawada?" Hana said, standing up on her own, before taking in the whole sight of the woman. "Ah, never mind. I've mistaken you for someone else."

The woman blinked twice before smiling. "It's alright. You must be talking about my son, Tsu-kun!" ...Tsu-kun. As in Tsuna. If this woman was really his mother, then that'd explain the similarities. "I'm Sawada Nana. Feel free to call me mama!"

Hana nodded tentatively, a bit wary of Sawada's mother. "I'm Kurokawa Hana, Sawada's classmate."

"Really?" Nana asked, and continued without waiting for an answer, "Do you know where Tsu-kun, Lambo-kun, I-pin-chan, and Reborn-kun went to? They haven't been at home yesterday or today..." She sighed, face turning anxious.

Hana thought for a moment and finally recalled the children that stayed at the Sawada resident.

"They're probably on a picnic trip that..._Reborn-kun_ had planned," Hana fibbed, grimacing at the thought of the baby with the fedora. She wondered if she should've lied but decided it was fine for the moment when Nana's face brightened.

"They must've left secretly. Boys will always be boys, after all," Nana said, smiling more genuinely, "Well, I have to start making dinner soon, so I'll leave first. Good-bye, Hana-chan."

The girl nodded politely and left for her own destination. At least one more thing was proven: Sawada's group had something to do with whatever was going on.

Needless to say, that day was a long one.

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The next day was a blur or talking, plans, silent inquiries, and worries. Hana was able to tolerate her classmates, but her worry didn't disappear as she hoped it would. Satoshi's official celebration was coming up and nothing was heard from Kyoko or Sawada's group. Apparently, the lie she told spread quickly around the school and everyone took that excuse without much questions, though Hana could feel Mochida's suspicious gaze on her during lunch. Luckily, his practice prevented him from confronting her that day.

On another note, she noticed that Hibari wasn't around to make his daily rounds, though that was probably because he was beating some delinquents somewhere in town._ Or maybe that was because he was involved with Sawada's group_, a part of her mind whispered, though Hana pointedly ignored that thought.

The end of the school day came by much faster than expected, not that she was complaining. Hana managed to avoid Mochida and accepted one of Kyoko's friends' invitations to hang out. It wasn't because she wanted to; it was possible that they knew something about Kyoko's absence so she took the chance to subtly interrogate them. She should've know better; not much people in Namimori could lie well and Hana ended up wasting hours on window shopping and gossip.

Instead of wasting any more time with the annoying bunch, she left and headed straight towards her friend's house, half expecting to see Kyoko opening the door with a smile. However, neither of the Sasagawa siblings greeted her this time.

"Ah, Hana-chan," a warm voice greeted her. Kyoko's mother's face was warm and motherly, but it had lines of aging. She then turned around and semi-yelled, "It's Hana-chan!"

A grunt came from somewhere in the house, presumably from Kyoko's father.

"Sasagawa-san," Hana said, slightly bowing to show her respect.

"Please, call me Miko. Sasagawa-san makes you sound so stiff!" the woman laughed with good will, softly smiling down at the Kurokawa. Hana nodded politely but didn't make an effort to change her greeting. "Is Ryohei with his sister?"

Hana masked her dumbfounded face with a speed her mother would've been proud of before nodding. It was already seven in the evening, and Ryohei's personal practice should've ended an hour ago. Hana took a deep breath before replying to the obvious woman, preparing herself to say yet another lie. "Yes, he decided to go on Kyoko's picnic trip so he could train and protect his sister at the same time. He must have forgotten to tell you."

"Oh, that silly boy," Miko sighed with a hint of exasperation. "Thank you for coming all this way to tell us, dear. Would you like to some in for some food?"

Hana rejected the offer and bid her farewell. She stomped down the budding guilt and continued to walk away from the house. She felt herself slightly relax after turning around a corner. Miko wasn't scary or anything of the like; she was actually the opposite of that. But that was exactly why Hana couldn't bring herself to be rude in front of the (annoyingly) kind couple. Hana slightly slumped as she dejectedly headed towards her house for Satoshi's celebration.

Lying was something she didn't do often, though she was rather convincing when she needed to be, but she was still surprised that people actually trusted her words as they were.

.

"Goodbye," Hana said gloomily to her cousin. He raised an eyebrow at her but continued on his way to wherever he was going. Hana walked to Namimori Middle like always, wondering if Kyoko really was kidnapped or something. Maybe she should've called the police...

She walked to her classroom, half-considering skipping her classes to do another search.

"Hana!" A familiar voice called out, so familiar that Hana had thought it was just a hallucination at first.

"Kyoko?" Hana said, blinking repeatedly. Her friend looked the same with her large eyes, trademark smile, orange hair, and cheerful demeanor. It was either actually Kyoko or a really skilled fake. Hana hoped it wasn't the later.

"It's been a while," Kyoko said sheepishly, giggling nervously. "I heard that you covered for me when I was away. Thank you!"

_What happened? Do you know a person named Shiro Ran?_ _Why won't you tell me what's going on?_ "...It's fine. You're my friend after all." The tense look on Kyoko's face completely disappeared as they fell into their normal routine. It was nice having a conversation after a while of being alone.

Hana continued the conversation but looked up when she heard someone speaking. Slowly, the talking that came from the corner of the building became louder and louder until Hana could hear a couple of familiar yells. After another while, the people in question appeared, causing Kyoko to momentarily pause.

"Sorry, Hana! I'm going to talk to Tsuna-kun and the others for a bit, okay?" Kyoko asked abruptly. She looked back at her friend with a bit of worry.

"You don't have to ask for my permission," Hana said wryly. The ginger head nodded before running and talking with the others in a friendly manner, way more closely than how they acted three days prior. There was something going on- she may have realized this the second Kyoko disappeared, but she finally came to accept it. And she would find out about that 'something' sooner or later, whether anyone liked it or not.

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_Omake: Marshmallows and Friendship?_

"Hey, Flower-chan~"

"Don't call me that."

"Do you want some?" Byakuran held an open bag of marshmallows, holding it in front of Hana. The fluffiness of the white delicacies hovered in front of Hana's face temptingly. The sweet smell danced in the air, and sparkles surrounded the bag of sweets. It looked delicious, and was perfectly soft and fluffy, calling 'eat me' in a sweet whisper. It was truly a food of the kings-

Hana twitched. She shuffled back defensively and stared at the grinning boy. "No way am I touching something you possibly poisoned. Stay away from me."

He pouted before drinking (_drinking_) down the white sweets. "You're going to die from lack of sweets."

"...I hope you die from diabetes."

.

_Italics_: Emphasis, sometimes thoughts  
**Bolded**: Another language, most likely Italian  
Underline: Speaking through electronics

A/N: Please excuse me as I cry tears of happiness, looking at the reviews, favorites, and followers I've gotten for the first chapter. I'll probably include Mochida in the future chapters, but he will be a bit of a jerk, so try to bear with him. I discovered stuffing unimportant characters into the plot while trying to keep it semi-canon is WAY more difficult than I anticipated. I also forgot to mention that the way Byakuran says 'Flower' is said in English. As usual, I'd like criticism, advice, and just your thoughts.

Note: 10,000 yen is about 95$ in USA.

Thank you to **Prideful** for bearing with my writing and being my unofficial beta, and to **EnternityMusic4me** for your encouragement. Thank you to the others who had favorite/followed this too. (Don't be shy. I don't bite.)

Now, here's a question to attempt to interact with my reader(s):

**Prideful** said that putting Byakuran and Hana into a story as the main characters together is like pairing Haru and Colonello up together. Any other comparisons?


	3. Of Trials

Title: Boy Over Flowers

Summary: White, black, grin, scowl, a marshmallow freak and a sarcastic genius. A single meeting between Hana and Byakuran triggers a launch of chaos: mafia, talking babies, dying will flames, sweets, and a not-so-clueless girl. AU-ish

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Chapter 3: _Of Trials_

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_Recap_: Hana suspects that Sawada's group has something to do with their disappearance over the last few days. She decides to take action.

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_"There was something going on- she may have realized this the second Kyoko disappeared, but she finally came to accept it. And she would find out about that 'something' sooner or later, whether anyone liked it or not."_

Or at least that was what she had planned... "How am I suppose to manage to find information about those maniacs anyways?" Hana muttered quietly. She adjusted the pearl necklace that went along with her clothes, and pulled over a beige cardigan. It wasn't a school day, and Hana decided to take that chance to hunt for information that could relate to Sawada in any way. She didn't have much of a lead, but she knew if she'd continue acting like one of her clueless classmates, she'd end up being forgotten and left behind.

There always was the option of asking that annoying white-haired monkey for help (since she somehow managed to run into him one way or another), but Hana decided that she'd avoid him for as long as she could. He knew quite a bit of information, too many things actually, and that fact pointed into the direction of danger. She might go to him as a last resort, but Hana preferred solving her problems alone.

"Is there something wrong?"

Hana turned to face her cousin. She knew he was asking only out of his obligation as a family member and that he really had no concern for her troubles, though there was a (very slight) possibility that he was concerned for her as a person. She doubted that, though. Hana didn't hesitate in her reply, "Plenty of things, though it doesn't concern you." Kurokawas were also known for their independence and Hana would be dammed if she had to ask for help every time a problem came up.

"Hmm." Satoshi accepted her answer without any questions, and left her to deal with her problems herself. He pulled on his shoes, opened the door allowing the bright sunlight to enter the house, and then turned to face her. "I nearly forgot. Your parents said that they'd be away for another trip overseas so you'll be in my care for now. So don't stay out too late or I'll be the one getting in trouble."

Hana rolled her eyes but replied, "I'll be back before nine. That should be fine." Satoshi nodded once and turned to leave, Hana right behind him.

The door of the dainty little house closed with a click as the two Kurokawas parted ways to head towards their own destination.

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Hana crossed her arms sub-consciously as she walked down the street. Thoughts were dancing around her head; there was too much to think about and not one of those thoughts were clear to her. She almost wished that a clue or hint would miraculously pop up in her mind, but that was very unlikely to happen so Hana continued to review what she knew. It'd be a lie to say that Kyoko's sudden appearance after her temporary leave didn't surprise her. Unfortunately, it didn't give any hints as to where she had been and what she was doing during her absence.

Neither Kyoko or Ryohei dropped any important hints. In fact, they actually went along with the story cover Hana came up with. While she was proud that her friend could finally cover for herself, she didn't appreciate the fact that they were still lying to her. Whatever they were hiding from her had to be something big; Kyoko rarely hid trivial secrets from her.

Hana looked at her surroundings and found herself surrounded by vendors, small shops, and the people minding their own businesses who all happened to be on the same street. Some people were buying items, others were rushing down the lane heading to wherever they had to go. Hana was one of the few people wandering almost aimlessly on the street, looking around but not actually having a specific goal. Well, Hana did have a goal, but she didn't know where to start so she was just as good as the others around her. She took the chance to think about the prior events and looked around for any suspicious people simultaneously. She had a vague idea that the people and basic problem she was getting herself involved with was anything but 'safe' and 'normal'.

She looked up to the sky, half wondering if an angel would appear out of nowhere to tell her exactly what she wanted to know. A moment later, logic overpowered her hopes and the thought was abandoned.

Hana raised a hand to shield her eyes from the blinding sunlight, covering her eyes with the shadow if her right arm. The sky was accompanied with cirrus clouds, not doing anything to shield the sun. It was nearly noon, perhaps half an hour till twelve, and Hana was already feeling the signs of hunger. _This is probably because I_ _skipped breakfast_, she reasoned, and momentarily placed her task aside for the moment in favor of food.

She scanned the shops with little to no interest. There was a clothing shop to her left, a shoe shop across the street to her right, a sports shop diagonally behind her, but there weren't much fast food restaurants around this specific shopping area. Thankfully, the shopping area that specialized in food wasn't very far.

As she observed her surroundings, she couldn't help but be annoyed. There was something that was definitely important in her quest of truth, but she couldn't exactly recall what it was. Hana paused as a tempting smell reached her nose. She turned to see a small stand selling traditional Chinese buns. She glanced at the sign and the currency required to buy from there. Normally, she wouldn't have to do such a thing but with all of the crazy things happening around Namimori, she decided to play it safe. Who knows, there might've been a shop that'd be asking for your life instead of money around here.

Luckily, the type of money needed to buy there was just plain old yen. After a hesitating for a second, Hana headed towards the stand. "Two meat buns, please."

The man(?) behind the counter nodded. He was dressed in a purple Chinese dress and a traditional hat, with a sunglass completing his outfit which seemed too big for his body. _Odd choice of clothes_. But after Sawada's numerous episodes of running around Namimori half-naked, she couldn't really say she was shocked by his preference in clothing anymore. The man was rather...well, small. He was short and he didn't look like he even reached his growth spurt yet.

He reminded her of someone. Someone _very_ unpleasant. She grimaced at the thought of the baby with the fedora and hoped that the man(?) in front of her wasn't another child prodigy. It was unlikely, but Hana couldn't shake off her discomfort. Hana pulled out her wallet and took out a fill bills the same time he took out the finished buns. His hands were completely covered by his sleeves which was nearly half a foot longer than his arms were. She reached out and began to grasp the bag, when all of a sudden, she froze.

Hives started breaking out on her arms, though it luckily wasn't visible under her cardigan. Hana's eye twitched. "...How old are you?"

The man's (she was starting to doubt that the guy was even in his teenage years) head snapped towards her. He gave off the impression of a bewildered, confused person, but she couldn't be sure since nearly all of his face was covered. If he was offended, then she would understand. Questioning him was rather rude of her, no matter how accurate the accusation may be. To her surprise he answered in a muffled voice, "Older than you think I am."

She wasn't sure whether to call him out or believe his words.

"Thank you," she said stiffly, opting to ignore the fact that they even had the conversation. As she place the money down on the counter, she caught a flash of red. A boy whose hands were occupied with ten or so shopping bags ran down the street, avoiding people clumsily. He nearly tripped over his shoes several times but continued running determinedly.

_Red?_

"Hey, Shouichi! Wait for me!" A girl with dark hair tied in two pigtails ran after the boy, both disappearing into the crowd. Anyone who even turned at the disruption dismissed the two and continued on their merry way, no longer paying any heed to the couple.

_Shoichi... "_Irie Shoichi," Hana muttered quietly, a memory sparking in her mind.

The boy that Mochida was looking for had red hair.

The boy he was looking for was clumsy.

And the boy _she_ was looking for was names _Irie Shoichi_.

"They're the same person?" _No, it's probably just a coincidence, _her mind retorted. It wasn't like her to believe in fate or the such, and she wasn't going to start now.

The stand owner turned to her, silently questioning her. Hana hid her flinch and wondered if every person in Namimori had an acute sense of hearing. She ignored the implied inquiry for a few minutes, trying to eat her buns in peace, but because his stare was so similar to her _precious_ cousin, she felt the need to explain.

"I just saw someone I know," Hana said. It wasn't the truth, but it wasn't exactly a lie either. She didn't need another suspicious person on her tail, especially one that resembled that _baby_. Unable to stand the awkward atmosphere any longer, Hana nodded politely as a farewell before speeding away from the Chinese stand, pretending that she never saw him to begin with.

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Tsuna slumped down onto the floor of his room, recalling the discussion from the day before. Reborn had kindly briefed them about the other Arcobalenos, though Tsuna suspected that Reborn did it to scare him instead acting out of kindness. If that really was Reborn's goal, then Tsuna had to admit that it was a success.

Hearing about the other Arcobaleno and their abilities honestly frightened him. Even 'Immortal' Skull, the Arcobaleno that they (well, mainly Reborn and Colloenello) had once chased out of Mafia land, sounded stronger than he would ever be. It was understandable; he was a part of the strongest group out of the strongest after all. But the mere thought that he had to pass seven different trials in order to literally save the world was putting a lot of pressure on him.

_If I fail..._ Tsuna wondered before grimacing at the thought. There was absolutely no way he could possibly fail. He'd be letting everyone who trusted him down, and his failure would merely emphasize Byakuran's growing power.

_But..._ Gokudera was still as...uh, _passionate_ as ever, Yamamoto haven't lost that 'mafia-is-a-fun-game' impression, and Hibari- _No. No, no, no. Don't let you thoughts wander into that area_, Tsuna chided himself. He should have more trust in his friends; worrying too much wouldn't do him any good. _Good thoughts, good thoughts_, Tsuna chanted in his mind. One of the few things that he could be happy about was the state of the present. It was still as hetic as he remembered, but it wasn't like the future where Mafioso were at the end of every street.

"No-good Tsuna."

"AHH!"

Tsuna ducked, narrowly dodging a flying bullet, but ended up falling over his feet because he was nowhere near perfect boss material- (_yet, Reborn thought)_. The brunette looked warily over to his tutor.

"R-Reborn..."

The baby's face was shadowed by his fedora, making it nearly impossible for anyone to discern what he was thinking or feeling. However, Tsuna was anything but 'anyone' and could easily tell that the baby was not in a good mood, which meant that he was either doomed or super doomed.

"We're going to a meeting."

"E-Eh? Didn't we have one yesterday?" Tsuna questioned, but knew somewhere in his mind that it was no use. Once Reborn made up his mind, you either followed him or die and suffer.

"We're having another one," he simply stated and this time, Tsuna didn't try to discourage his tutor. He learned quickly from his past experiences: if he did protest or questioned Reborn's demands, he'd most likely get a bullet to the head.

"But why?" he asked weakly, not expecting an answer. To his surprise, he got one.

"You're going to discuss battle tactics with your subordinates. A mafia boss must be ready to fight at all times." Tsuna's usual response and refusal of his title was cut off as the door to his room opened.

"Haha, am I late?" Yamamoto's head peaked through the doorway before he made his way in, closing the door behind him. "Hey Tsuna, kid. Gokudera isn't here yet?"

"Ah, I guess not," Tsuna smiled at the appearance of the taller boy and gestured to the floor, prompting the other to sit. "I wonder if something happened..."

Usually, the short-tempered bomber would appear within minutes as soon as he heard news of his beloved 'Tenth'. Normally, he would dismiss his other best friend's lateness, but with all of the stuff going on for the past month, Tsuna's paranoid mentality had shot even further up. His worries were proven worthless as a familiar yell echoed downstairs.

"Get back here, stupid cow!" An obnoxious laughter rang out and Tsuna's door suffered another rough treatment as it was slammed open by none other than his self-proclaimed right-hand man, with Lambo in tow. Lambo, with his customary cow suit and curly hair, was once again yelling at the older boy, trying (and succeeding) in annoying 'Baka-dera'.

"Tenth!" Gokudera smiled widely before doing a 90° bow. "I heard from Reborn-san that we were going to get ready to fight so I came over as fast as possible."

"Oh, I see. Wait..._fight_?" Tsuna asked incredulously once the words registered in his mind. "I thought we were only going to plan what we were going to do!"

"You never know when you're going to go into battle. Planning while fighting is the best situation we have to get you prepared."

_No, it's not!_ Tsuna wanted to scream but had (un)fortunately already grown use to Reborn's odd antics.

"Oh, I see! As expected of Reborn-san," Gokudera nodded in approval as Yamamoto swung an arm over his friend's shoulder, much to the displeasure of Gokudera.

"When do we start, kid?" Tsuna sighed, preparing himself for his fate. Stopping his tutor was nearly impossible, and stopping both of his dear friend _and_ his tutor was like saving the world. Which, in his case, was something that he had to get over with not far from then.

"After we greet our guest," Reborn replied in his squeaky voice, jumped down from Tsuna's desk and exited the room. Three voice chorused simultaneously as a response to his statement.

"Guest?"

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She looked at the house in confusion, wondering how she ended up at _Sawada's_ of all places. She must have been far too lost in her thoughts to actually end up wandering here. Hana looked at the house contemplatively. After another moment of thinking, Hana strutted straight to the door and knocked. Nearly an instant later, the door swung open revealing a young face.

"Hello," Sawada's mom said cheerfully, opening the door widely. "Oh, if it isn't Hana-chan! Come in, I'll get some snacks for you."

Nana-san ushered the surprised girl in and closed the door before heading off to what Hana presumed was the kitchen. The woman reminded her greatly of Kyoko, both because of their similar looks and personality. Nowadays, she expected people to be more guarded against strangers. But in a way, Hana could understand Nana-san's slightly strange way of thinking. With a son like Sawada whose main group of friends consisted of a short tempered delinquent and an idiotic school idol, Nana-san had to be abnormal in some way or the other.

Hana strolled over to the table in the living room, folding her knees as she sat down. On cue, Sawada appeared with his friends right beside him. Their reaction was as expected: Gokudera shuffled defensively closer to Sawada and narrowed his eyes as oppose to Yamamoto's friendly greeting. Yamamoto blinked with a hint of surprise that didn't last very long.

"Kurokawa-chan! Haven't seen you around in a while," he commented, laughing for no apparent reason.

"Yamamoto," she greeted. "I was busy with other priorities."

"K-Kurokawa-san, why are you here?" Sawada stuttered, surprised at her appearance. His reaction was also expected, though she mentally thought that Sawada shouldn't be surprised by her sudden appearance with all of the people and events she suspected was appearing/happening around him. His loyal dog growled suspiciously behind him.

"Hey, woman, Tenth just asked you a question!" Hana's gaze moved over to Gokudera, not impressed in the slightest.

"I would've answered if you haven't rudely interrupted," Hana sniffled haughtily, "but I'm here-"

_Scenario 1: Telling Truths_

"-to ask you what the hell is going on."

"E-Eh? W-w-what are you talking about?" Tsuna squeaked, taking a step back. Behind him, Yamamoto would no doubt decide to keep his mouth shut.

"Hey, woman! You're making the Tenth uncomfortable!" Gokudera would yell. That would no doubt lead to a arguing session, which wouldn't take her anywhere from square one. They would find out that she knew something which would make them even more wary around her, and that would decrease her chances of solving this intricate puzzle. Just as fast as option one came into mind, it was thrown out.

_Scenario 2: Eating Excuse_

"-to take up your mom's offer for lunch."

That would then lead to an interrogating session led by one Gokudera Hayato, most likely asking how she met 'Tenth's' mother, what they spoke about, what her intentions were, and etcetera.

In other words, option number two was ruled out.

_Scenario 3: Ignorance is Bliss_

"-because I wanted to. Is there a problem with that?"

There was always this option, but that wasn't a stable reason to keep her there long enough to find out _something_. She'd be forced out of the house in a matter of minutes whether it'd be by that baby or Sawada's suspicious, loyal followers; Gokudera being the prime example.

Hana's thoughts were flashing through her head and she barely registered what she said out loud.

"-to find where that hottie is."

Oh. _Right._ The last time she came over for her own personal reasons, she had wanted to find where that hunk of a man was. She mentally applauded herself in self-satisfaction for her quick thinking. And what she said wasn't exactly a lie; she did want to find that teenager again. He was blatantly hot and the mysteriously aura around him just drew her in. She could get lost in his gaze for hours...

"Uh, Kurokawa-san?"

Hana snapped out of her daydream and looked back at the trio. Sawada gulped at her stare but didn't voiced his thoughts despite his obvious discomfort. He didn't even try to make an excuse to run away- something he would've done only a few days prior.

"Feel free to sit anywhere," he said with a feeble smile, and Hana fought down the urge to tell him she was already seated. Fortunately, he realized his mistake, blushed in embarrassment, and sat down as well. "About Adult Lamb- I mean, that guy you're talking about, he's going to be away for a while, so he won't be around, so maybe, well, I don't think you can find him right now..."

He trailed off in his attempt at discouraging her and blushed again but met her eyes instead of avoiding it during his persuasion.

"It's fine," Hana waved off his concern, "I'll just wait for him until he gets back. Plus, it'd be rude to leave right after your mom offered me food."

"Eh, it's fine, right Tsuna? After all, we don't know when they're going to come," Yamamoto grinned and sat diagonally from Gokudera, who was seated to the left of her. The reaction was instant: Sawada paled and glanced over to Hana while Gokudera clamped a hand over the baseball star's mouth.

"You baseball idiot! She doesn't...Arcobaleno trials...you can't just...are you insane?!" Most of his words were muffled but the words she did here was enough to confirm that there was something to do with trials that she shouldn't know about.

"What in the world are you talking about?" Hana raised an eyebrow, deciding to play dumb for the moment, taking a mixture of amusement and satisfaction as she watched her classmates shuffled around nervously. The three boys sighed in relief as Nana-san entered with a tray of tea and sweets.

"Enjoy the food!"

The awkward silence after Nana-san left was quickly disrupted by the children residing at the Sawada residence. Explosions and yells followed, and this time, Hana didn't turn a blind eye to the obvious factors around her.

.

The day was warm. The sun wasn't covered by the clouds, but there was a light breeze that blew through Namimori making it cooler than it would've been. Many people were busy even on such a nice day: children with their friends and family, adults at work, students working on their homework studying the day away... One of the few that weren't busy was Hana, who was at a small Chinese stand that had situated itself a few feet from the gates of her school. After staring down the stand owner for minutes, she finally bought a late lunch. She looked down at the bun in her hands, biting into it absently as she took out her wallet.

Yesterday was...well, crazy. She couldn't believe she missed so many things just because of her fascination of the mature-looking teen. True to his words, the boy didn't appear, but she was nearly positive that the excuses Sawada gave were far from the truth. Furthermore, two new students had arrived at Namimori and were both placed in her class. That was another thing she would've found suspicious if she even cared to think about it. Nearly every transfer student that ended up in her class were involved with Sawada in one way or the other.

The two Hariyama twins named Himeko and Monta were surprisingly normal. They didn't have a dramatic entrance like a certain violent follower of Sawada did, nor did they seem exceedingly strong or dangerous. But something about them just warned her to stay away, so she kept her distance.

Then again, it could've been a coincidence, and she might've been worrying for nothing.

"-mimori Mountain? I wonder what trial they'll give us."

Hana raised her head to see Sawada and his friend exiting the school. She turned around quickly to pay but the stand that was right behind her seconds had had seemingly vanished into thin air. She gaped, staring blankly at the empty space before her eyes, and then composed herself, hoping no one saw her acting like an idiot. Luckily, no one was around- but that also meant that Sawada had already gone on. Hana groaned.

.

The next couple of days passed by as peacefully as it could get. On a certain morning, however, a heavy fog graced Namimori. Hana exited her house saying her farewells to her cousin. She shivered the second her skin contacted with the air and wrapped her scarf around her neck, strolling towards her school. Kyoko, being Kyoko, had offered to show the female Hariyama around the school. Hana, being Hana, ended up being dragged along. It was rather early in the morning so there wasn't a lot of students present, allowing Hana to think freely in silence.

"-shopping together, Hana-chan?"

"Hmm?" Hana hummed and looked up from her book to see two expectant faces.

"Hime-chan offered to go shopping together with me as a thank you," Kyoko explained patiently, "and she wanted to know if you wanted to come along."

Hana's first reaction was to shoot down that offer as quickly as it came. She didn't mind shopping; she was merely concerned with the people she was going to be shopping with. Hana preferred buying her clothing, groceries, and necessities without having to hear about the new 'it' thing, boys, or drama in life. Kyoko had been her shopping buddy a few times in the past so she wasn't worried about her friend. Instead, she was more concerned with Hariyama.

"C'mon, Hana-chan," Hariyama drawled. "It'll be fun with more people!"

Hana scowled at the familiar address, but accepted. "Fine; I'll take up your offer. Hariyama, was it?"

The girl tut'ed, wagging her index finger. "Nu-uh, it's Hime-chan."

Hana waved the redhead off, walking towards her desk to prepare for the day. Too much worries would give her another headache, so she'll just deal with the transfer student when the time comes.

.

Hana looked up to see where her feet led her to and found a forest scenery in front of her. Somehow, she ended up in the forest that surrounded the Namimori shrine.

After the shopping spree, they ended up at Kyoko's favorite cake shop. Hime-chan, as she had insisted to be called, managed to persuade Hana to take Kyoko home, and Hana had split up from the two, deciding to continue her search. Himeko, as how Hana addressed the girl after hours of being pestered, was surprisingly tomboyish. She had some strange obsession with sharp objects, but otherwise, she was bearable.

_Bam!_

"Watch where you're going!"

Hana frowned at the rude order, steadying herself.

"I should be saying that, you hypocrite," Hana said, glaring at the offender, before blinking to make sure she wasn't going blind. "Mochida?"

"Huh? Kurokawa?! What are you doing here?" he spluttered, his angry expression replaced with a confused one.

"I was going to search for a person," Hana hesitantly gave in, eying his ruffled appearence. She crossed her arms and looked haughtily up at her senior. "And what are _you_ doing here?"

He immediately scowled as a response. "I'm looking for the guy I told you about a few days ago." He paused. "And Kyoko's already back, so who are _you_ looking for?"

Hana cursed Mochida, almost hoping that that he'd continue being _(acting)_ stupid. He really was more observant than he let on. Actually, she had recently discovered that quite a few people was hiding more things than she had originally thought they would had- probably because she was starting to be more attentive to her surroundings. After considering the effects of her answer, Hana finally replied, "Irie Shouichi. The person you're looking for."

"Looking for?" He repeated a bit dumbly. "Look, I said I was looking for a male redhead. I'm not talking about the transferee in your class-"

"I know what I'm talking about," Hana cut in, a bit annoyed at the fact he thought she mistakenly remembered his quest, "I'm not talking about Hariyama. I said I'm looking for Irie Shouchi, a _male_, since I saw him a few days ago." _And that he might have something to do with the white-haired monkey and Sawada,_ she added silently as to not arouse any questions.

"Oh," Mochida said, and after a pregnant pause, they started heading towards the Namimori Shrine together. "I saw him a while back at the shrine, but he ran away as soon as he saw me."

"Probably because of your face," Hana murmured under her breath and eyed his cylindrical bag slung on his shoulders. "Do you always carry that with you?"

"Of course!" Mochida looked slightly offended but explained, "With all the recent events going on, I seriously doubt that Namimori's really safe as it looks like." He grimaced, face turning serious for a moment before he reverted back into his old, 'annoying jerk' self. "And I'm an amazing kendo captain; there's always a way to brag! Hahaha!"

Hana was silent and observed him again, more closely his time. He looked casual, but he was tenser than an average person going on a walk. His bag was hanging from his shoulder, not exactly loose, but in a way so he could draw his shinai easily. Even the most unlikely person could be hiding something behind their mask- especially around here. She really needed to take notice of the things around her, Hana concluded. Hana stared up at Mochida, who caught her gaze more quickly than she expected.

"What is it?" He questioned defensively.

"Just thinking that you're unexpectedly intelligent. It's hard to tell with you acting like an idiot for the majority of the school hours."

"Hey!" Mochida protested indignantly, though there was an almost invisible smirk on his face from her roundabout praise.

An explosion efficiently stopped the two Namimori students from continuing- only for a moment though. The two looked at each other before coming to a mutual agreement, heading up the stairs twice as warily than before.

"W-What?" Hana stuttered, because clamping her mouth shut at the sight. A hand quickly grabbed her and pulled her back down the stairs out of the fighters' sight. To her relief, it was only Mochida. His eyes met hers' and they carefully proceeded raise their head in order to watch the combat.

Sawada, his two friends, and Kyoko's brother were fighting against a _wave_. A. Wave. On a shrine in the middle of a _forest_. It was realistic, too real to be a small trick of light. There was a _floating baby_ in a cloak a few feet away from the fight. And...were those _flames coming from rings_? Hana blinked and glanced over to Mochida, who looked just as shocked as she was feeling. She looked back at the scene, wincing as a particularly violent wave splashed downwards towards Sawada, who _dodged_ it like he had been doing it for years. His face was composed and strangely captivating, and his eyes- _orange_? Ryohei seemed to having a bit more difficult time, but the four boys were managing fine in general.

"Hey, Mochida!" Hana whispered-shouted, her voice a bit unsteady. Her eyes were wide open, and she was unable to tear away from the flashes of light of the dangerous fight. A certain wave of water was about to splash downwards towards Yamamoto, who was the one closest to the two hidden students at the moment.

"W-Wha-?"

"We should-"

The wave was forced to the side, narrowly missing the two's hiding spot on the stairs, and crashed violently on the cement, also effectively managing to snap Mochida out of his daze.

"-go..."

"Y-Yeah," her senior quickly agreed, and they made their way away from the battle scene.

.

After hours of mourning over whether she should attend school after what she saw, Hana decided to go to school. She wasn't stupid enough to demand an explanation from Kyoko or Sawada or even Ryohei especially since they didn't know she was there at their battle the day prior. She and Mochida had decided to keep their encounter and what they saw a secret for the time being. She doubted anyone would believe her even if she told them what she had witnessed.

"Are you alright, Hana?" a worried voice called next to her. Hana tiredly turned her head to meet her best friend's worried eyes.

"I'm fine," she replied with a smile even she felt was too fake, but luckily, Kyoko accepted the answer and turned back to her other 'friends'. Hana looked back at her book, scanning the black printed words anyways but not actually reading it. Some part of her hoped that Kyoko knew nothing and wasn't keeping such a secret from her best friend, but Hana also knew that that was very unlikely. Whatever the reason, Kyoko was hiding something from her- that was for sure.

Furthermore, Himeko and her twin had disappeared with an overused excuse of 'parents moving away.' Even though some people made small comments, there wasn't much of a fuss. On the other hand, Sawada seemed more relaxed for whatever reason there was.

With a sigh, Hana resolutely decided to find this Irie Shouichi no matter what and find out why everything's going wrong.

.

It wasn't until a few days later when something happened again. Once in a while, Hana would spy Mochida heading towards his clubroom, but they never actively sought each other out. Therefore, there wasn't any important encounters that occurred over the past few days.

On a certain weekend, however, Kyoko had ended up making plans with her friend from Midori Middle, and Hana was once again forgotten. Instead of spending her time trying to seek out and solve the clues to the main problem present (which she didn't even have a clear idea about) which she would've done, she was out walking around Namimori shopping district in an effort to finish an errand. The last time she went shopping, the only thing she bought was a slice of cake that she finished at the bakery. The rest of the time she spent with Himeko and Kyoko was wasted on window shopping and comments on high prices. This time, Hana was graced with the task of buying clothes. Satoshi had requested her to buy him a new set of clothing, specifically, a suit. He had kindly provided her some extra money along with the necessary amount to buy what he wanted, but Hana wasn't really eager to, as she put it, 'waste her time'.

As she walked down the street, relaxing in the peaceful air, Hana started to sub-consciously observe the others around her. It was one of the things that she hadn't done in a while. She really hoped that nothing would disrupt her relaxation time, but to her luck, someone called out to her.

"Excuse me?"

Hana looked up at the older woman, and automatically greeted the elder, "Hello. How may I help you?"

The woman was beautiful, to put it bluntly. She had black hair that was fashioned simply, but it made her look sophisticated. Her red blouse, dark tie, and black office skirt matched each other well, especially on the woman. The only thing that seemed slightly out of place was orange pacifier hanging from her neck, but even that wasn't what caught Hana's eye. It was the brilliant, knowing blue eyes that captured her gaze- and held it. Hana forced herself to blinked and wondered why a woman like that would seek her out of all the possible people she could've gone to.

"I'm a bit lost. Do you have any time to spare?" the woman asked, smiling softly at Hana, who was then reminded of Sawada's mother. Her smile suggested that she wouldn't mind if Hana refused, but both her obligation to help others like the woman before her and her hidden fear of making a person drop their expectations of her prompted Hana to nod.

"I do. Where are you heading?"

"I nearly forgot; I'm Aria," the woman smiled again, "I'm a tourist from Italy. It's a pleasure to meet you...?"

_So that's where she got her looks...__ After all, black hair and blue hair was rather rare in Japan, though there were starting to be quite a few exceptions._

"I'm Kurokawa Hana, Aria-san," Hana answered the implied question and commented, "You speak Japanese well for an Italian. Do you have anywhere you want to go?"

"A good friend of mine grandmother's is fluent in many languages, so I ended up learning quite a few," Aria-san said modestly, "I would like to visit a person named Sawada Tsunayoshi, but I suppose you don't know him?"

Hana wanted to freeze and run, but she forced herself to change her course of direction. "On the contrary, I do. He's a classmate and a good friend of my best friend."

Aria-san blinked, looking genuinely surprised. "What a coincidence!"

And as they proceeded to crash into Kyoko and Miura Haru, Hana thought:

_What_ _a coincidence indeed_.

.

The events following could be told in four sentences:

1) Kyoko and Miura got acquainted with Aria-san, and then they proceeded to visit Sawada, Hana being dragged along.

2) Sawada was then dragged along with the group of females, treated like a servant, as a suspicious group of people (Sawada's group) followed (stalked) them.

3) Another girl appears taking Hana, Kyoko, and Miura away to buy juice, leaving Sawada alone with Aria-san.

4) They all return and go home.

Of course, these events didn't go as smoothly as it sounds, especially with Hana's undying suspicion of the people around her, save Kyoko. Hana had finally introduced to Kyoko's Midori Middle friend, whose name was Miura Haru. In Hana's view, the Miura girl would be described as honestly good-willed in an annoying way. A _seriously_ annoying way. The girl was chatty; that much she could bear with after being next to Kyoko and her other 'friends' for the past few years, but Hana _disliked with a passion_ the way they girl jumped into conclusions. She could see why the girl got along with Kyoko and how well they matched each other, but she wasn't the type to deal with the people she considered annoying. It was going to take a while if they were ever going to decide to become friends, but the most she could manage at the moment was not hating the bubbly brunette.

One of the things she was actually happy about was that she managed to complete the task give to her from her cousin during the shopping spree. She felt nearly no pity for Sawada who was forced to carry the other three's shopping bag, but she decided to carry what she bought herself.

The group finally stopped at a resting area, where yet another girl joined them.

"Chrome-chan!" The two bubbly girls greeted. 'Chrome' had dark violet hair and eye, though her right eye was covered by a skull eye patch. Her clothes were mainly made up of white, black, and purple pieces of clothing. Despite her strange appearance, she was warmly welcomed by the others, making Hana feel like an outsider. Luckily for her, Chrome-san's quietness made up for Miura's loudness, which made her a more desired company in Hana's opinion. The two didn't converse as much as the others and they ended up being silent for the most part even as the conversation took a turn. The group ended up taking turns looking at what the others bought, sans Sawada and Chrome-san.

"Hana-chan, you're shopping for an older man, desu?" Miura gasped as she took notice of the suit in Hana's only bag. "Do you have a boyfriend?"

At this, Sawada, Kyoko, Chrome-san, and even Aria-san turned to look at the Kurokawa. Somewhere in the back, a group of people shifted behind a conveniently placed bush.

"These are for my cousin," Hana gritted out, annoyed at both the familiar use of name and what Haru was assuming. Her 'desu' at the end made it all the worst. Seriously, she was just like a certain idiotic kendo captain.

"Oh," Miura blushed before looking up again, "But do you want anything for yourself? I'll pay!"

At this, both Kyoko and Chrome-san seemed to suddenly remember something and instantly supported Miura's declaration.

"Ah, me too! Do you want anything, Hana?" Even Chrome-san and Sawada was eying her expectantly for no reasons she could discern.

Hana blinked but refused the offer. "I am planning on buying some accessories later, but I have enough to pay for myself."

At Miura's and Kyoko's downcast expressions, she added, "But I wouldn't new clothing either."

The two perked up, and pulled Hana away. "Aria-san, please relax here! We're going to go shopping for a bit more, desu!"

"Oh, would you mind getting some drinks for us while you're at it?" Aria requested politely and the two nodded. Sawada made a move to leave but Kyoko and Miura convinced him to rest the moment he stood up.

Hana was pulled away by the two girls, the Chrome girl trailing behind them. By the time they got back, it was nearly another hour, but neither Sawada nor Aria-san had minded. In fact, Sawada looked like he had just finished some kind of task, looking a bit worn out but not exactly tired. After another few minutes spent on updates and farewells, the group finally separated ways, leaving only Hana and Aria. Hana was sorting out her clothing articles and accessories that she brought during the hour, while Aria-san was simply enjoying the peaceful scenery.

"Do you know about their secret?" Aria-san questioned softly once the others left. Hana stiffened and truthfully answered, feeling for some reason that it'd be no use to lie.

"I don't. But I do know they're hiding something- and I plan on finding out." Hana prepared herself for discouragements or excuses, but to her surprise, she didn't receive any.

"I see," Aria-san merely said. She smiled down at Hana again, "Then I'll be supporting you."

"...Thank you."

.

Irie Shouichi cursed his luck as he stumbled on something he probably shouldn't have. He had been preoccupied with a robot project his school was launching, and he ended up staying out till nighttime. While he knew his mother wouldn't care and that his sister would most likely be proud that her younger brother was finally acting 'like a normal teenager', he was still worried about his situation. On a whim, he decided to take a shortcut through an alleyway- one of the worst decision he could've made.

"I-I'm extremely sorry, Byakuran-sama; I won't make a mistake like that again! Please give me another chance!" Shouichi stopped his speed-walking, glancing around to search for the owner of the voice.

"Oh? And why should I do that?" Compared to the aging and fearful voice from before, the second voice was light and airy, while dangerous all the while. "Nezu Dohachiro, was it?"

"Yes, B-Byakuran-sama?"

"I am willing to give you another chance," the second voice declared, "But what shall you do?"

It was a rhetorical question that was answered by the very same person who had asked it. "Ah, whatever. Just continue gathering information on how Tsuna-kun and the others are doing."

_Tsuna-kun... Tsuna... Dame-Tsuna? That sounded familiar_... Shouichi shook off his thoughts and focused on being as silent as he could possibly be.

"Thank you for this chance, Byakuran-sama!"

"It's fine, it's no biggie," the second voice was mirthful, almost amused at the way the first man was acting. The second man- _no, not man_, Shouichi corrected himself as he peaked past the wall, _boy_, waved off the older man who was _bowing_ at his feet, "But if you make a mistake again..."

"I-I understand! I will not fail you!"

"Alright, then~ You can go now," the boy said, smiling as if he hadn't just commanded a person trice his age to _stalk_ someone. As soon as the second the man disappeared from sight and hearing distance, the smiling boy tuned about to face the general direction of where Shouichi was hiding. "You can come out now."

After a tense silence, Shouichi stumbled out from behind the wall, holding his breath in fright. "H-Hello, I was just passing by, I didn't here anything important at all, so I'll be taking my leave now, have a nice day-"

"Oh?" Shouichi froze in his attempt to leave. "You look familiar... Ah! I remember! You're Irie Shouichi-kun, right?"

_HOW DOES HE KNOW MY NAME?!_ "Ah, y-yes, that is my n-name."

"Hmm," the boy hummed, the spark in his eyes growing more frightening by the passing second. Shouichi gulped, clutching his bag tighter to his chest. "Are you interested?"

"E-Eh?" The redhead squeaked nervously, ready to run at any hostile motion.

"I asked: Are you interested? In what's happening around you?"

Shouichi, with much fear, shook his head wildly in hopes of _not_ angering the other.

"Is that so," the other laughed lightly, though a darker tone and meaning of the laugh seeped through his words. "Well, if you ever change your mind, you're welcome to come to me."

With that, the white haired boy walked off, leaving Shouichi to stare at the distancing back until he faded from view. Once he did managed to regain his senses, the redhead slumped down sliding on the wall, wondering if his answer had just doomed his fate.

.

_Italics_: Emphasis, sometimes thoughts  
**Bolded**: Another language, most likely Italian  
Underline: Speaking through electronics

A/N: Well. This chapter is pretty messed up so congratulations to whoever managed to finish reading this and actually understand what I wrote. Sorry for the long delay; I enjoying my vacation. This story will end up including Mochida and Shouichi more as the story progresses, so do your best to bear with them (meaning Shouichi's wimpy-ness and Mochida's attitude). On another note, this story is going to be a combination of the manga and anime together, so I will definitely mess up some of the canon events. I will go back and fix this up later.

...I just recently discovered that Hana always has some kind of accessory on her. WHAT KIND OF FAN AM I?

Notes:  
• Yen: Japan's Currency  
• Hana's 'Condition': Hana's arms break out in hives whenever she's near in contact with a child. It's canon. I think.  
• Shinai: A bamboo sword used in Kendo  
• Nezu Dohachiro is a real character. Yes, he's a Millefiore/Gesso Famiglia spy.

Thank you to **Prideful** for bearing with my writing and being my unofficial beta, and to **Princess 123897**, **EnternityMusic4me**, and** Random reviewer** for your encouragements. Thank you to the others who had favorite/followed this too. (Don't be shy. I don't bite.)

Now, here's a question to attempt to interact with my reader(s):

How do you think Hana is going to find out about the mafia and the Vongola? (Because she will find out, sooner or later.)


End file.
